Racing Hall of Famer Earl Cooper was one of the most formidable racers of his era and, perhaps, among the best from any era.

He displayed remarkable versatility, competing on dirt ovals, superspeedways, road courses and board tracks to win AAA National Championships in 1913, 1915 and 1917 against the likes of Tommy Milton, Ralph DePalma and Jimmy Murphy.

Cooper was born in Broken Bow, Neb., on Dec. 2, 1886. When he was five his family moved to San Jose, Calif., a fortuitous move for Coopers future. For even at the dawning of the automobile age, California was a hotbed of racing activity.

As a teenager he found work as a mechanic in C.H. Letchers garage, and in 1904 he helped Letcher prepare a Cadillac for a race at San Joses Agricultural Park. With Cooper only 17, Letcher decided to race the car himself.

Desperate to race, Cooper borrowed a Cadillac from one of the shops lady customers. At the races halfway point, Cooper blew by his boss for the win. None too happy about his employees perceived betrayal, Letcher fired Cooper.

Cooper wasnt out of work, or off the race tracks for long. Inspired by his initial success, he pursued racing on the dirt ovals scattered throughout California. By 1910, Cooper was so dominant the magazine Horseless Age claimed he was ruining racing by winning so frequently.

That caught the attention of the automotive manufacturer Harry Stutz, who latched onto the young talent. Cooper successfully raced the white No. 8 Stutz factory car from 1912 until Stutz pulled out of racing in 1916.

With the outbreak of World War I, Cooper semi-retired, racing only sporadically after the hostilities ceased. However, he became restless and returned to the cockpit in 1922, competing for another four years.

Naturally talented as a driver, Cooper was equally an excellent mechanic and engineer. He designed and built successful race cars after retiring. His on-track success materialized because he blended those abilities with meticulous preparation, cool-headedness and intense focus.

Perhaps theres no better example of this than his 1913 victory in the Corona Grand Avenue Boulevard race. The city of Corona had built a 2.75-mile, circular track around the city. Originally intended for horses, the city converted it into a paved boulevard for the new horseless carriages.

To celebrate the grand thoroughfares opening, a 300-mile auto race was promoted, attracting racings most prominent names. Cooper started preparing a month early. He camped nearby, daily testing tire and speed combinations. Though capable of running quicker, he determined that a 79-mph pace would suffice. Any faster and tire wear would jeopardize victory.

So as Barney Oldfield, Ralph DePalma and Spencer Wishart battled at over 90 mph, Cooper let his strategy play out. Multiple pit stops forced others out of contention, while he led the most laps and won easily.

Strangely, Cooper competed in two races simultaneously that afternoon. The first race was for 250 miles, for engines up to 450 ci. The second race was an open-class event, of an additional 50 miles.

Cooper received the checkered for the first race, and the green for the additional distance, taking that win and with it the $5,200 grand prize. The two wins ensured his first national championship.

1913 was also Coopers first year at Indianapolis. Although not entered, he relieved teammate Gil Anderson before a broken cam put the car out of the race. Cooper ultimately ran Indianapolis seven times and was consistently a favorite for a win.

He set track records there. In 1926, he captured the pole and led the race. But as it has for many great drivers through the decades, victory eluded him at the Brickyard. He did come tantalizingly close in 1924.

From his sixth-place starting spot, he raced into the lead on lap 42. A blown tire put him to the rear, but he fought his way back to the front and was again leading at the 400-mile mark when another tire blew. He still managed a second-place finish.

Afterward, while his mechanic bemoaned their loss, Cooper seemed unperturbed. Interrupting, he said, Never mind that. I saw this redhead in the stands where I stopped when the tire blew. Thats the most beautiful woman Ive ever seen. Im not going to rest until I know her name.

He did come to know it and married her.

That couldve been American racing hero, Earl Coopers finest display of coolness and intense focus in the heat of a race.